Eastern Wirrah

Available wild-caught, it is a bottom-dwelling marine and estuarine fish found mainly near rocky reefs to depths of 100m off the south-eastern coast from southern Queensland to northern Tasmania and mainly caught off NSW. It is yellowish-green with small blue spots and blue fins.

Season: Available year round, though supply is limited.

Size and Weight: Can grow to 4kg and 64cm, but commonly sold at 300g-1kg.

Sold whole (gilled and gutted) and in fillet forms. In whole fish look for lustrous skin, firm flesh, and a pleasant, fresh sea smell. In fillets, look for white, firm, lustrous, moist flesh without any brown markings or oozing water and with a pleasant fresh sea smell. Estuarine species will have darker flesh.

To Store:

Make sure whole fish is scaled, gilled, gutted and cleaned thoroughly. Lay whole fish or fillets in a single layer on a plate and cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze whole fish for up to 6 months, and fillets or cutlets for up to 3 months, below -18ºC.

To Cook:

Average yield is 47%. Has a mild flavour (with smaller specimens being slightly stronger flavoured, and fish from estuaries sometime shaving a slightly muddy flavour), low oiliness and moist, firm flesh with large flakes and few bones, which are easily removed. The thick skin is best removed. The bones make excellent stock. Score whole fish at the thickest part of the flesh. Cut thick fillets into serving-size portions to allow even heat penetration.

Cooking Methods:

Steam, poach, deep-fry, pan-fry, stir-fry, bake, grill, barbecue, raw (sashimi). The firm flesh holds together well in soups, curries and casseroles and can be cubed for kebabs.